San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1887-12-20

snobDery which may be found among
well-born men and women, and Is more or
less offensive 10 fine senses; and 10 this
class Aston Lawford belonged; pride, not
OF wealth, but Of those things which wealth
procures-his pictures, his horses, his
establishment generally. "The iron enter
ed into his soul, >" Max Beauregard said OF
him once; and IL may be added, the witty
paraphrase in application. but not Of words,
was somehow repeated 20 Aston Lawford,
and then he never forgave IT,
Now you are cross" said Valerie, very
coolly, and Struggling her shoulders: but
inwardly she quailed Was she going too
far with this mann She had never sup
posed that he really cared for her. Could
1t be that he did-that she was trifiing with
himi
And you-cruelp' returned I.awford,
lowering his colors AZ once Valerie would
have respected him better IL he had been
less ready TO yield. As il was she answer
ed by another shrug, and bowed with I'M
necessary empreSSement to Harry Dallas,
who was on horseback among the specta-
tors
Some Of the coaches, among them Law
ford's and Gerald Beauregard's, drove
down to the Crystal Palace for luncheon,
and there, as everywhere, Valerie Herbert
was the centre Of attraction. IL homage
and fattery could make happiness, she
ought to have been sublimely happy.
Lady Elinor remarked TO her husband that
the girl flirted outrageously, and he smiled.
What can be expected" he said, ''when
q girl Is so fascinating, and men make such
fuss with her? But 'outrageously' is a
strong term. Is the LawfOrd affair set
tledy'
Her aunt told me yes. Valerie has gone
almost too far to rccede; besides, why
should she, unless some duke or earl came
forward-and there are none eligible at
present"
And when Gerald and his wife returned
to Whitehall Gardens, Max threw down
the book he had been holding, but not
reading, the last ten minutes, and asked
them, smiling, how the meet had gone off?
"Splendidlyr' said Lady Elinor why,
have you heard nothing about it?"
81 was at the War Office" he answered,
until three o'clock. and then had lot
of letters to write, so came straight home.
You seem tired Gerald" he added, to his
brother.
i am, you hlOW uOW lllGle care LOT
London life. shall take myself off to Alb
bots Leigh very soon, and leave you to
take care of Nellie"
Then Lady Elinor began to tell all about
the meet and the luncheon, and Of course
Valerie came to the front How she look
ed, what she wore, how everyone said it
would be "a match with Lawford; how
she flirted, and all the rest of it. To which
Colonel Beauregard listened with due
amount of interest, and gave no hint that
he was on the rack the whole time: and
Lady E!inOr afterward said complacently
to her husband:
at is lucky Max doesn't seem to have
taken fancy to Valerie Herbert He
wouldn't get over it a. most men get over
disappointment
II she had seen Max Beauregard when
he was alone agatn-seen the gray agony
of his face, heard the whisper: "Oh, Heav-
enI oh, Valerie! my love. my loven'-her
shrewd ladyship, who tiattered herself that
few men or women coud deceive her,
might have owned that on. man, at least,
knew how to keep the pcH&icri StrciH be-
hind the COltO ScIto.